EU building up a new defence structure

At the EU Summit the EU27 leaders reiterated their commitment to launch a new EU defence co-operation structure – Permanent structured co-operation (PESCO) – early next year. It will assemble member-state resources to conduct specific operations and provide funding for joint research and procurement.

The initiative is a joint German-French project, although the two differ over how easy the new structure can be to join. The French prefer a tighter group with more specific financial obligations, the Germans propose to make it flexible and open to a maximum number of members to join.